Meal Planning for a Very Busy Family
Options
RunionX4
Posts: 190 Member
I have been wanting to start planning our meals for the week/month however we are a very busy family with different schedules and it's hard for me to get started. Any ideas? I want us all to eat healthy but my husband and I work different shifts and I do not have a big freezer to do a lot of freezer meals. I have posed this question before to different groups and sites but never really got any ideas other than to do freezer meals or just a simple answer of just start with one week. So I really hope someone on here can give me an idea of how best to start and how to stick with what is in the plan. Thank you in advance for any ideas.
0
Replies
-
0
-
I had my kids help me last night make a big batch of healthy pancakes. We 4x's the recipe and now we have pancakes for the week and I don't have to think of what to make for breakfast. This would work for any meal. Make 3-4 times the batter for healthy muffins and then store them in the fridge. They will keep the week and then they can be a quick snack with all your crazy schedules.
I guess my thought is pick ONE thing to triple or more, one thing that you know you all like. It is only a little more work and can last a while. I made a pot of chicken noodle soup last week and we just finished it today. I am making spaghetti sauce tonight, it will be doubled.
I will be checking back to see what others have to say...0 -
Someone posted up a recipe for making a batch of breakfast burritos, in bulk for the week, if ye look through todays posts you may be able to find it.0
-
This looks great!!!! Thanks Gayle Minneapolis0 -
How about freezing crock pot recipes and throwing it in a crock pot every morning. Idk it sounded interesting to me but I haven't tried it. Dinners ready daily no matter what time you get home.0
-
brannewmee wrote: »How about freezing crock pot recipes and throwing it in a crock pot every morning. Idk it sounded interesting to me but I haven't tried it. Dinners ready daily no matter what time you get home.
I never thought of that, I will have to try it!!0 -
I always try to make time to do a weekly menu and put it on the board in the kitchen, getting new ideias and fresh recipes that don't take long because as you, my freezer is very small and we are a family of 5. There's tonnes of recipes that you can do in the portions you want... change4life app very great for ideas.but sticking with that menu on the kitchen board is sacred for me. Don't need to think just look in there and i know what to do as a meal. Hope i helped a little bit!0
-
joanapires81 - can't find change4life app. Could it be under a different name?0
-
Crock-Pot for the win. My SO and I typically work different shifts and I'm rarely home in the evening. It's just me and him but I make a couple of family sized slow cooker recipes every week. They typically reheat well. The key for me has been portioning them into single servings before we eat any of it. I freeze half of the portions, leave the other half in the fridge paired up with a portion of carbs and a portion of veggies. Easy to drop into a lunch bag. Easy to reheat when we get home. Easy to pre-plan in MFP.0
-
homemade instant oatmeal - many versions out there .. just put ingredients in a baggie. label it , and rolled oats add water 3min microwave at work... nice warm breakfast or snack0
-
Where is everyone getting their healthy crock-pot recipes?? I have looked at a few and a lot of them are high in sodium or calories and that's sort of defeating the purpose. Also are there any tricks to freezing the meals? Certain types of freezer bags or stroage containers that work well?0
-
I don't pre-prep our meals, but I do pre-plan them. I have found the crock pot to be a wonderful tool, you can keep your meals healthy and warm for everyone to enjoy, hope that helps a bit.0
-
skinnytaste.com is a great site. I never add the added salt in any of the meals0
-
I love sinneytaste.com as well, allaboutthefood! Also try Getcrocked.com for crockpot ideas.0
-
another vote for crockpot. I made salsa chicken (chicken breast +jar of salsa) this weekend for tacos. Took 1/2 and froze it in quart size bags. Then rolled the leftover chicken in tortillas and froze the burritos. I have teens that come home before I do. They eat them when they get home. Also do the same with beans and lentils.
0 -
Every Sunday I go to the grocery store and stock up on the fresh veggies and meat that I need to the week. I pre-cut all my meat into individual, weighed pieces. All my produce is chopped into the sizes I need for the meals I will be making. Only takes me a good hour or so to chop and baggie everything. Now that all the prep is done, during the week you pull out the baggies that you need for your meal and get right to cooking! If you know you won't be home to cook the next day make sure you make enough for leftovers. You can only pre-prep so much when you can't freeze.0
-
I like to buy lots of dry ingredients like ginger, onions, garlic, anchovies, and other produce that can keep like tomatoes. Eggs too. Having a group of produce that I'm familiar and have various recipes (using the same ingredients) is my prep strategy. ☺ p/s: having familiar herbs, spices and sauces handy helps tremendously too. when I'm busy, I just keep expecations simple.0
-
We get tired of eating the same thing all week, so I try to make something versatile that can turn into a few different meals.
For example, roasted chicken one night becomes chicken quesadillas the next night, then chicken/broccoli/rice casserole, then chicken soup.
I'll also cook up a big pot of rice or pasta and just add different protein and veggies throughout the week. Leftovers can always be frozen and worked back into future meals.
0 -
Down loadw the what a for dinner app. You get recipies, there is a calender that you CAN plan meal by the week or month. The once you store the meal it will be added to your grocery list. From there check off the items that you have In the house and you know what you need when you get to. The store
0 -
Sorry "what's for dinner" is the name of the app,0
